The City of Hartford Announces Significant Green Energy Purchase to
Help Lead Connecticut’s Clean Energy Efforts

City of Hartford to work with Constellation NewEnergy to help meet
its goal of purchasing 20 percent of its electric supply from clean,
renewable energy

HARTFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The City of Hartford is leading the way when it comes to committing to
clean energy by utilizing wind, solar and hydro sources. The Capital
City will offset 20 percent of its power needs from renewable energy
sources. Hartford is a proud member of the SmartPower 20 percent by 2010
Clean Energy Campaign and the Connecticut Clean Energy Communities
Program. SmartPower’s campaign has set an
ambitious goal for all of the state’s cities
and towns to purchase 20 percent of their energy needs from clean,
renewable sources by the year 2010. Committing to the campaign in
February 2006, the City of Hartford continues to raise standards and
expectations by achieving this goal three years ahead of the 2010 target.

“SmartPower applauds the City of Hartford for
achieving the goal of 20 percent clean energy prior to the 2010 date.
This achievement truly makes Hartford a rising star in New England and
demonstrates that clean energy is real, here and working”

Working with both Community Energy, Inc. and Constellation NewEnergy,
the City will offset its electricity consumption by purchasing 8,575
megawatt-hours (MWhs) of Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). Splitting
the purchase between both companies, the city will purchase 2,825 MWhs
from Community Energy, Inc. and 5,750 MWhs from Constellation NewEnergy.
These purchases will help offset electricity usage from traditional fuel
sources with clean, renewable energy sources such as wind and
hydropower. The City of Hartford’s purchase is
equivalent to planting approximately 2,000 acres of forest or removing
600 cars from the road.

“I am proud to announce our commitment to
purchase 20 percent of our energy from renewable power sources. This
decision not only underscores Hartford’s
dedication to energy independence, but it will also help to ensure that
we are utilizing today’s emerging clean and
renewable energy sources,” said Hartford Mayor
Eddie A. Perez. “We are pleased to have
Constellation NewEnergy and Community Energy as partners to help us
achieve our renewable energy goals.”

“We are very excited to support Hartford’s
commitment to clean and renewable power,”
said Carrie Cullen Hitt, Vice President of Product Management -
Renewable Products for Constellation NewEnergy. “Following
the example set by Hartford’s leadership, we
see an opportunity to incorporate clean energy into the electricity
needs of our customers across Connecticut, which currently includes
hundreds of cities and towns, school districts and Boards of Education,
and many more businesses.”

“SmartPower applauds the City of Hartford for
achieving the goal of 20 percent clean energy prior to the 2010 date.
This achievement truly makes Hartford a rising star in New England and
demonstrates that clean energy is real, here and working,”
said Keri Enright, State Program Director for SmartPower.

As a part of the Connecticut Clean Energy Communities program, which is
sponsored by the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund and SmartPower, the City
of Hartford will be awarded a free 1 kilowatt (kW) solar system for
every 100 residential customers that sign up for CTCleanEnergyOptionsSM
through Connecticut Light & Power (CL&P). Presently, 166 Hartford
residents have enrolled in the program. To help the City continue to
obtain more free solar systems, the City encourages all residents and
business owners to look for the CTCleanEnergyOptions bill insert in your
next CL&P bill.